Witkoff proposed Trump give Russia ownership of four Ukrainian regions – Reuters
Reuters reported this on Friday, citing two U.S. officials and five people familiar with the situation, according to Ukrinform.
"The fastest way to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, said Witkoff, was to support a strategy that would give Russia ownership of four eastern Ukrainian regions it attempted to annex illegally in 2022," the article reads.
It was a point Witkoff had made previously -- and publicly in a podcast interview with conservative media personality Tucker Carlson last month -- but one that Kyiv has repeatedly rejected and that some U.S. and European officials have dismissed as a maximalist Russian demand.
Meanwhile, in the meeting with Trump, General Keith Kellogg, the president's Ukraine envoy, pushed back against Witkoff, saying Ukraine, though willing to negotiate some terms related to disputed land, would never agree to unilaterally cede total ownership of the territories to Russia. The meeting ended without Trump making a decision to change the U.S. strategy.
The article also states that in a break with normal security procedures, Witkoff had invited Dmitriev to his personal residence for dinner before the White House meeting. That set off alarms inside the White House and the State Department. U.S. officials avoid hosting officials from Russia -- which has sophisticated intelligence capabilities -- to their homes. The dinner was rescheduled and took place at the White House instead.
Some Republicans on Capitol Hill were so concerned about Witkoff's apparent pro-Russia stance in the Carlson interview that several called National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio afterward to complain, according to a person familiar with the calls.
On Friday, Witkoff, who plays a key role in negotiations with Russia for peace in Ukraine, met with Russian dictator Putin in St. Petersburg. Meanwhile, the Kremlin announced that, besides discussing "various aspects of the Ukrainian settlement," a conversation about a potential meeting between Putin and the U.S. president was also possible.
Photo: Bloomberg
